Most Dems in new survey approve of Buttigieg, Kelly on Harris VP shortlist

Among the names on Vice President Harris’s running mate shortlist, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) were ranked the highest by Democratic voters, a new survey found.

The survey, released Friday by YouGov, found that Buttigieg and Kelly were the most popular picks to join Harris's bid for the White House.

Buttigieg was the most popular, with 58 percent of Democratic voters or Democratic-leaning independents saying they approve of him as a possible vice president. Kelly, a former astronaut, trailed closely behind with 57 percent.

Harris, who rose to the top of the ticket following President Biden's decision to step aside and subsequent endorsement, was officially nominated by virtual vote Friday to lead the Democratic ticket in November. The vice president said earlier this week that her running mate will join her on the campaign trail next week but said she had “not yet” made her selection.

Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., has appeared on many talk shows since Harris announced her campaign, a strategy reflective of his own 2020 presidential run. During the last election cycle, “Mayor Pete” became a household name, and he was known for his ability to communicate tough ideas to Republican media and voters.

Kelly, on the other hand, may be uncomfortable in the attack dog role as vice president, as he has eschewed politics for most of his time in the Senate. His focus is more on policy and that strategy has raised questions about what would change if he joined the ticket.

Besides Buttigieg and Kelly, Democratic Govs. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, have also been considered top candidates. The survey found, however, that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and California Gov. Gavin Newsom outranked the others.

Whitmer earned 49 percent support while Newsom followed with 48 percent, per the poll. Shapiro, one of the top rumored people to join Harris, follows at 46 percent approval.

Beshear, Walz, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker all trailed behind.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper received the most amount of “not sure” votes among respondents, with just 26 percent saying they approve of him joining the ticket. Cooper withdrew from consideration as Harris’s running mate earlier this week.  

The YouGov survey was conducted July 29-31 among 1,127 respondents and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.